HAYA Centurion KIT of Parts.. First Impressions.

[zooma]

When the box was delivered this morning, there was no doubt about what was inside it as the HAYA Centurion Kit box is not covered in any way to hide the printed "label" describing the contents.

On opening the box the bright green plastic mouldings greet you and the weight of the metal tracks are clearly the heaviest items in the box.

I ordered my KIT with a pair of red motors to try to improve the power right from the start and I also specified the 105mm barrel with the "B" type fume extractor.

I will not be rushing this kit (it will probably a winter build) but I did want to try the fit of the red motors in the hull moulding as soon as possible, so I quickly replaced the standard kit motors with the red ones and it does look like they will be an extremely tight fit!

The bottom motor will need some insulation between the end cap and the frame of the gearbox that it almost touches - but it looks like it is "do-able" - just about!

The chassis tub has some good extra webbing moulded into it to make it as solid as it could be without needing any additional bracing to prevent flex - this is not so apparent on the pre-built model but can be easily seen inside the bare tub moulding. Very impressive.

I was expecting to find a large bag of screws - but in fact only some very small bags have screws in them so I will need to be careful to use the right screws in the right places and not drop any as it looks like there are very few (if any) spares. I think my magnetic dish will be called into action straight away to hold these screws securely during the build assembly.

No building instructions are included in the kit - only the same handbook that comes with the RTR HAYA Centurion is provided so the building reference are the online videos that shows various key points of the assembly..

I will be studying these videos as I go along to check that I have got everything in the right place - but initially it will be treated like a typical "blokes" kit build - bung it together first (carefully) ..... and then check later to see if everything is in the right place! It should be fun and I may even put some sub sections together first before painting them just to check the fit and that nothing is missing. Being a basic screw-together assembly will help to facilitate this .

Hopefully this thread will attract some support from those that are already building or have already built a HAYA Centurion KIT, but it should also prove to be informative and interesting to the casual observer and anyone that is contemplating buying their own HAYA kit ..

[zooma]

The red motors will be a very tight fit !

The bottom picture shows the gear covers removed and the original motors taken out with the red motors installed in the gearbox before being squeezed into the chassis tub.

[tankme]

I have built most of the kit myself and the "which screw to use where" will be something that frustrates you the entire build. There are a couple of YouTube vids on how to build some of the assemblies and they help a little. The screws are pretty soft so use the right screw driver on them or you will strip the head. I would definitely do a parts inventory to make sure everything is there. My kit had a bunch of missing or incorrect pieces in it. I like the Haya Centurion, but I never recommend the kit as there are no instructions so it can be frustrating to build because of that.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I certainly do hope you do a detailed "build," zooma! I admire your willingness to take on the kit, and I believe that in the long run (perhaps after much ) you and your Centurion will be all the better. Even here in the U.S. I have found online assortments of small metric nuts, bolts, screws, hex-heads, etc. I keep them on hand along with my little containers of scavenged hardware (things that go round-and-round to fasten together in some way) and "funnies"---odd springs, levers, gears and whatnot else that "just might be useful sometime."

[ongbenghui]

The red motors will be a very tight fit !

Not adding to the pictures, but this is exactly the reason I don't want to risk any potential electrical shorting of the controller board.
It does not look like you have secure the gearbox with screws yet. Again, i suspect there will be additional tension built up on the chassis when the gear box is secured. Do take note.

I will suggest to buy a faster 360 instead rather the longer 390.

At the same time, I reckon a build thread in the build section might be a better approach for this thread.

[Meter rat]

I agree with our friend ongbenhui that this should be moved to the modern builds section.. As to the red motor, you have similar gaps to what I have on the Challenger, about 1mm by the looks of things. I simply put tank tape over the ends of the motors and on the gearbox frames.

[zooma]

Hi Meter rat,

I didn't have any plans to do a complete build review of this kit - only to mention things that may be of interest as I make my first impressions - or perhaps to ask for help as others have suggested that some of these kits have been incomplete and of course that there is no identification of the correct screws to use on any of the assemblies.

How on earth we can identify missing parts without accurate part descriptions or part numbers is a mystery to me so I certainly hope that my kit is complete with no parts missing, but this will only be discovered as I start working on the build. Without parts descriptions or part numbers I am not sure how easy it would be to identify any missing parts (or screws) before trying to put the sub-assemblies together?

This could be a situation where shared knowledge could help all of us that are attempting (or have already completed) building this kit of parts.

Somebody with more experience than myself would probably be better equipped to do a build review of this kit as it may not be at all straightforward .

I have taken delivery today of a pair of 360 SH motors (as suggested by ongbenhui) for use in my HAYA Centurion. It looks like I have plenty of time to look carefully at the motor choice as I slowly work my way through this kit build. I have other uses for the red motors if they prove to be a troublesome option for the Centurions tightly spaced installation.

Sorry I have to rush away now - but I will return to this answer if I think of anything else to add as this is looking like it could easily turn into a "can of worms" rather than being the pleasant kit assembly that I was hoping for!

Bob.

[ColemanCollector]

So how much of a "kit" is this? Lots of bits to build up like a Tamiya? Sounds interesting!

Mike.

[tankme]

So how much of a "kit" is this? Lots of bits to build up like a Tamiya? Sounds interesting!

Mike.

Bare tub and bare turret. Not as many parts to be glued on as a Tamiya. Most parts are held on with screws. Most parts are on sprues.

How on earth we can identify missing parts without accurate part descriptions or part numbers is a mystery to me so I certainly hope that my kit is complete with no parts missing, but this will only be discovered as I start working on the build. Without parts descriptions or part numbers I am not sure how easy it would be to identify any missing parts (or screws) before trying to put the sub-assemblies together?

Compare what you got with this pic:

img_1553_1677609559065.jpg (318.93 KiB) Viewed 1411 times

[Herr Dr. Professor]

No few RCTW tankers have the RTR Haya Centurion, so there may be help with photos of the "innards," etc., when you have need. Please do keep us informed as to your trials and successes and above all, questions.